The Gong in Kundalini Yoga

If you have never experienced the sound of a gong played to a deep relaxation, it is a real treat. Yogi bhajan used to talk about it as a tool that supercedes the mind.

When the gong is played, the mental thought process naturally relaxes. In a new book by Mehtab titled Gong Yoga, he speaks about the different effects of playing the gong.

 

Here is a clip of Mehtab speaking about playing the gong:

We carry a number of Gong CD’s that can be used for personal relaxation or use in a yoga class when carrying along a gong is just not realistic.

Here are some of them:

Therapeutic Gong

Song of the Sacred Gong

Earth Planet Gong by Sotantar

 

Echo by Devinder Kaur

Gurmukh – Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Muse

Gurmukh, one of my favorite yoga teachers ever, is a Kundalini Yoga teacher with so much depth and sincerity, she has you at Sat Nam!  Gurmukh has been keeping Kundalini Yoga alive and well amongst the actors and musicians we see splashed across tabloids everyday.  I remember being super excited when the Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote a song about her on their album ‘One Hot Minute.’  Musically it wasn’t exactly yogic music, but the lyrics are really incredible.  I just downloaded the song today on I-tunes and was again blown away by their artistic expression of the experience of practicing yoga under her guidance. 

Here are the lyrics:

Falling into Grace with You

What ever never knew
That I could feel so good
Smile in your eyes
What ever never knew
That I could walk through wood
I guess I never tried
A million years old
But just a little girl
Vibin’ off the gong
Rubbin’ on the bowls
Make you float around
Make your lovin’ strong

And when we get
In the same place
At the same time
It is your grace
That I want to
Fall right into now
To love avow

I’m falling into grace with you
I’m falling into Gurumukh
I’m falling into grace with you
I’m falling into Gurumukh

She moves in a rapture
That her capsule might
Land on your star
Meditating in the morning
Head dressed in white
Beauty bazaar

You can smell the purple light
Comin’ from her heart
Get lost and wet
I treat you like a teacher
‘Cause that’s what you are
I wanna be your pet

And when we get
In the same place
At the same time
It is your grace
That I want to
Fall right into now
To love avow

I’m falling into grace with you
I’m falling into Gurumukh
I’m falling into grace with you
I’m falling into Gurumukh

Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo
Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo

I’m falling into grace with you
I’m falling into Gurumukh
I’m falling into grace with you
I’m falling into Gurumukh

You can hear a sound clip from amazon: Click to Listen

Lots has been written about Gurmukh’s famous yoga students from David Duchovny to Ione Sky, from Cindy Crawford to Maddona.  Check out some of these articles:

http://www.myprimetime.com/play/self/content/yogi1213/index.shtml

http://hargobind.wordpress.com/2006/08/25/gurmukh-in-yoga-journal/

http://www.mrsikhnet.com/index.php/2007/05/09/gurmukh-kaur-in-vanity-fair-magazine/

- Karan

Whole Self Recovery

For over 5 years now I have been working in substance abuse recovery along with my millions of other activities. It is truly one of the most rewarding fields to work in and I have found that Kundalini Yoga is always the cornerstone of a persons growth, change and development. After doing it a number of years independently, a couple of friends and I realised that there was such a huge national and global need in this area for the technology of Kundalini Yoga, we decided to start up a 40 day relapse recovery program called Whole Self Recovery. It is all based on the teachings of Yogi Bhajan and I have been working closely with Mukta Kaur the director of Superhealth as well.

The Whole Self program is a holistically based program which utilizes the 40 day herbal Cleanse, a regimented organic vegetarian diet with fresh juices, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, counseling and most importantly Kundalini Yoga. We have been doing it for over a year now with incredible results. Some people have stated that 40 days of this program was like a years worth of time at Bette Ford. The largest foundational piece has been the awakening of the individuals souls. Once that is no longer dormant and asleep, the person is no longer able to live an unconscious life without being aware of the repercussions of their actions. We made the program a minimum of 40 days because we all know that it takes a at least 40 days to break a habit and it has been scientifically proven that is the length of time to legitimately rewire the brain.  It works on cleansing the body of residual toxic buildup, purifying the mind and reprogramming unhealthy thought patterns and awakening the spirit. Here is a quote from one of our participants:

“After months at different treatment centers around the country, I know Whole Self offers the most well-rounded, comprehensive, holistic approach to healing available. Their team of healers is not only highly qualified, but also compassionate and uniquely dedicated to uplifting, energizing and bringing out the best in each individual. For anyone who truly desires and is ready to change their life, Whole Self is unprecedented in its ability to provide powerful tools and support in an incredibly loving and profoundly life-altering program. In my opinion, Whole Self has created the temple for a new paradigm in therapy.” JJ

If you know anyone needing or seeking help in this area, please have them contact me at deva@spiritvoyage.com. As it is my life’s mission to heal and strengthen each individual to fulfill their own purpose.

May God bless us all with happiness, abundant health and most especially a deep sense of holy spiritual self.

Deva S Khalsa

Teaching Yoga In Bangalore

In the 1970′s my father dropped out of medical school to work in a vegetarian restaurant and live with 9 other guys  in an ashram and study with Yogi Bhajan. He also showed up that same week and broke the news to his folks sporting a turban.  In the early 90′s, he joined a start up company that was the first to do medical transcription in Bangalore India, called Healthscribe. Transcription was  predecessor to the business process outsourcing (BPO)  industry, and was a knowledge transfer from the West to India. He then went on to work for Firstring, one of the first call centers in India that targeted western business. His career working with India would prove to be quite successful but he would often comment how he wished he could teach more yoga.

Just as yoga would forever change america, so too would technology transform India. Yesterday, my pops emailed me a flyer that I thought was quite ironic. Here is the link to the Bangalore Flyer.

“Feeling Stressed Out?? Don’t let life pass you by! The Employee Engagement Team is organising Kundalini Yoga sessions By Firstsource’s very own Expert – Satwant Singh Khalsa which will help you realise your true potential from Jan 27 – 30, 2009 for all employees at FSL Bangalore Each session will be for 1 hour. Interested employees may send in their preferred timings by Jan 23, 2009 before 5 PM Kundalini Yoga: The Yoga of Awareness Kundalini Yoga, the Yoga of Awareness, was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan in 1968. Through the practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation, your glandular and nervous systems are stimulated, your capacity for creative potential is heightened, and you gain inner vitality. Kundalini yoga classes are a dynamic blend of postures, pranayam (breathing exercises), mantra, music and meditation. You will increase your flexibility, learn the art of relaxation, and relieve tension and stress. Balancing body and mind enables you to experience the clarity and beauty of your soul.

No previous experience in yoga is required for you to achieve results with your very first class. Firstsource’s own, Vice President- Client Relationships, USA, Satwant Singh Khalsa will be leading the classes. Mr. Khalsa has been practicing and teaching Kundalini Yoga for over 30 years.”

He plans to hold classes at the centers they operate  in Manilla & Buenos Aires as well.

Teachers in Focus – Maya Fiennes

“To be in her presence, and to feel her spirit, her energy, and her teaching is an extraordinary experience” Deepak Chopra

Musician and yoga teacher Maya Fiennes combines her talents to create a stunningly beautiful Kundalini practice focused on fortifying the body’s stress defenses. Maya uses movement, breath, mantra, and chants all set to her own exhilarating music to awaken the spirit, energize the body, and relax the mind and is the creator or the “Kundalini Yoga to Detox & Destress” video.

Spirit Voyage: How did you discover Kundalini Yoga and what inspired you to become a teacher?

Maya: As a classical pianist, I started yoga as I wanted to relax before concerts and to improve my musical performance. I have now been doing yoga for ten years, having tried all different styles including Hatha, Ashtanga and Bikram in search of spiritual growth. When I found Kundalini yoga, my search was over. Once I realised the effect Kundalini Yoga had on me I wanted to share it with others; hence why I became a teacher.

Spirit Voyage: You travel and teach throughout the world – can you share some of your experiences teaching yoga to different cultures?

Maya: I have taught all over the world, including the Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Greece, Asia (Taipei, Hong Kong & Singapore). It doesn’t really matter where you are. Kundalini Yoga is all about the journey within one self; the outside world becomes irrelevant. With the help of my music, I am able to teach yoga to people of all types of cultures and languages. I often find that not having a common language with my students is even more powerful as it allows us to communicate via energy lines only.

Spirit Voyage: Teaching is a real form of seva (selfless service). In what other ways is seva a part of your life?

Maya: I am a mother and a wife, which in themselves require selfless service. Apart from that, I am very connected to teaching youth in general and helping them on the road to adulthood and responsibilities. Embracing yoga tends to give confidence which is really useful at an early stage of youth. As I teach, and now that I am on Sky TV, via the channel Body in Balance, daily in the UK, I come across people with big needs and I always try to help be it through yoga, general advice, presence or other types of support.

Spirit Voyage: What type of Mantra/Chant music are you listening to these days?

Maya: I find myself listening only to mantras these days..in fact I have a mantra in my head all the time…as I create music it’s not so strange that I have it in my mind. I am in the studio at the moment recording the last mantra of my new album and it gives me pure joy. I am working on the miracle mantra, Guru Ram Das…it’s very healing, it opens the heart which prepares us for the arrival into the Aquarian age safely.

I also listen and work to other albums such as: Long EK ONG KAR on Gurunam’s “The Seal of Higher Destiny” album, Grace by Snatam Kaur, Yatri by Prem Joshua, Wheel of Sound by various Kundalini artists, The Guru Singh experience volume one, I especially love his Ong So Hung.

Maya’s DVD available at http://www.spiritvoyage.com/yoga/Kundalini-Yoga-to-Detox-DVD/Maya-Fiennes/DVD-002378.aspx

 

YOGI TIP*
Meditation for Emotional Relief and Self Healing

Mantra: Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, Wahe Jio

Instructions: Sit in easy pose keeping the arms straight with the hands in gyan mudra resting on the knees. Sit very majestically as though in the court of a king. Close the eyes so that the energy of sight is not distracting from insight. Chant this layla mantra and enter a divine sound current. Concentrate and hear the sound within.

Continue for 11 minutes, then inhale deeply and hold this precious breath, concentrate the energy at the top of the head. After 30 seconds exhale and relax.

* All teachings, yoga sets, techniques, kriyas and meditations contained in this blog entry are provided courtesy of The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan. Reprinted with permission. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of these Teachings may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the Kundalini Research Institute. To request permission, please write to KRI at PO Box 1819, Santa Cruz, NM 87567 or see www.kriteachings.org.

Yogalicious!! Who Are Those Spirit Voyage Models?

 

One of the really fun things about picking up a line of yoga clothes has been actually getting to wear the clothes.  They are really comfortable and light, and when I wear them, I feel really radiant and vibrant.  We scheduled photo shoots when the clothes came in, so I called on my nearby friends and family to come over and model for us, and it was both fun and inspiring to see them here.

Siri Om in our Rajasthani Wrap Pants

So, you want to know who these yogalicious models are?

Siri Om: Siri Om is Hargobind’s fiance (Congratulations to both of them – they just got engaged in October of this year.)  Siri Om is one of the most dedicated yogis I’ve ever known.  She teaches Bikram Yoga for about 4 to 6 hours a day, while maintaining her own Kundalini Yoga practice.  You can see her radiance shining from every pore of her skin, and we were really blessed to have her pose for our photographs in both of our catalogs.

Hargobind in our Yogi Sahib Linen Shirt and Siri Om in our Maharani Tantric Kurta

Hargobind: Hargobind, my business partner and step-brother, wasn’t sure he wanted to model, but with a little pressure we got him to participate.  Hargobind grew up practicing Kundalini Yoga, and when you see him meditate, you realize that there is something so profoundly connected to that juicy, yogic source, it’s suddenly easy to understand his business genius and ability to deeply focus on any goal.  Hargobind started practicing Ashtanga Yoga many years ago after he broke his back, and then more recently Bikram Yoga, so he incorporates the various styles of yoga into his own personal practice. 

Waheguru in our Hazoori Shakti Blouse and Yogi

Waheguru: Waheguru recently moved to the DC area from New Mexico.  She discovered Kundalini Yoga when she was 14 years old.  As a teenager, she would sometimes sneak out and go to Yoga classes, saying she had doctor’s appointments or was going to the gym because she didn’t know how people would relate to her as a yogi. 

Waheguru was the most fun to shoot – she spent the whole time telling jokes in front of the camera, making us all laugh so much, everyone forgot pictures were being taken and those turned out to be the best pictures of all!

 

Dave in the Gauze Kriya Shirt and Cotton Kundalini Pants

Dave: Dave is my brother and was more than happy to help with our photo shoot.  It’s been a while since I last dragged him to a yoga class, but he fell in love with our new clothes and said he’s taking them with him on his next beach vacation!  While Dave might not be a regular yogi, he had his moments.  I have pictures of him doing yoga in Yogi Bhajan’s lap when he was 3 years old!

 

Saraswati, awash in autumn leaves

Saraswati: Saraswati lives here in the DC area.  She just graduated with a Master’s degree in Public Health, and is staying with me while preparing for her next job, hopefully taking her to some amazing location in Africa to help cure the world of AIDS.  Having her join in our photo shoots was a real blessing, because she looks just like an angel!

Gurumeet wearing her Chakra Lotus Rings

Gurumeet: Gurumeet is my father’s wife. She is so beautiful, it was a natural fit to have her participate in the shoot.  Her eyes sparkle with so much light, I doubt anyone notices the clothes she’s wearing in the photos!  Gurumeet is a Kundalini Yoga teacher, interior designer, jewelry maker, and a gentle, graceful presence on this planet.  She also happens to be the designer of the Chakra Lotus Rings that we carry – she is truly and artist – every one of those rings is a work of art!

Akasha wearing the White-Banded Headcover and Padsha Tantric Kurta-Shirt

Akasha: I even recruited Akasha, my ex-husband, for a few photos when he was in town visiting my son for Halloween.  He was a good sport and agreed to model the head covers since I needed a man to show how they worked for men.  Akasha was so excited about the head covers, he asked if he could buy a dozen!!  Akasha is an amazing yoga teacher.  When we lived in India, he studied Ashtanga Yoga with Pathabi Jois’ nephew Srinivas in Bangalore for 6 years.  Yogi Bhajan’s teachings lie at the core of his spiritual practice and he incorporates them so deeply into his life and yogic practice that he can’t help but share them in his own yogic teaching.

Karan in the Kashmiri Kurta

Karan: And then there’s me.  I was the photographer for most of these photos, but I came out from behind the lens to model some of them.  I’m a bit of a struggling yogi – it’s always a challenge for me to find the time to keep yoga in my life.  I have studied Kundalini, Ashtanga, Bikram, and Vinyasa in various points in my life.  I take little pieces of each with me wherever I go.  I try to do the Ashtanga sun salutation every day as it keeps me feeling really connected with the earth and my body.  My meditations are all Kundalini.  I like to think that I am getting lots of good yogic karma helping to spread the music and yogic teachings around the world!!

Meditions, Kriyas, and Yoga Challenges

Yesterday I decided to do a 30 day bikram yoga challenge. The practice is 30 days of 90 minute yoga classes in the usual sweltering heat. It made me think of some of the other challenges I have done over the years. Here are some of my favorites:

The Steps at Goindwal

The steps at goindwal in India. At this temple, devotees read japji a total of 84 times. Japji is read and then you take a dip in a pool of water. This is then repeated for a total of 84 times. Japji takes me about 15 minutes to read so it took me just over 20 hours with only a 5 minute break to run to the bathroom. By the time I was done, I was in the most psychedelic state of my life. It was absolute bliss.

40 days of Sodarshan chakra kriya for 62 minutes each day. This is a really special meditation/ pranayam. A great description of it is given in The Mind by yogi bhajan.

40 days of 31 minutes of bound lotus or maha padmasana. I was working at the Yogi Tea/ Golden Temple

bound lotus

Factory during this time, packing cereal and going to the University of Oregon. I started to feel as if my crown chakra was wide open. It is hard to explain. When I was practicing the kriya, I have to say I hated it more than anything. The experience throughout the day though was fantastic. It was mentally the most difficult experience of my life. I felt like 40 days was not enough but I was so relieved it was over. I will finish that karma next life time The kriya is said to accelerate your karma.

11 days of the 4 U’s Kriya. This is explained in depth in the Fountain of Youth manual (which we don’t have). I had broken my back about 1 year prior and I wanted to do something physically challenging and healing. This was a great series of postures.

110 Days of 62 minutes per day of Sat Kriya ( i was aiming for 120). This is explained in Kundalini Yoga by Shakta Kaur and Flow of Eternal Power by Shakti.

39 days x 2 of seva at the golden temple in amritsar. I was going for 40 days each time. We

would wake up at 3 am and wash the marble around the golden temple. I am convinced I only did 39 days, because I really wanted to fail and have to come back later in life and finish the 40 days! One time I missed the last day becuase I was eating paranthas and drinking tea. I tried to eat fast at 3 am but destiny was against me.

My good friend satgurumukh, made a calendar of photos from the temple that is really sublime and captures its beauty.

There are probably many more meditations but the point is the most challenging sadhana’s practiced with consistency lead to the best results. They are the ones that leave the best memories.

Ra Ma Da Sa – Healing Meditation – Free Download

Earlier this year, Snatam asked us to help her figure out how to make her Ra Ma Da Sa available for free to everyone around the world so that there could be a tool available for anyone who wanted it to start a healing meditation for themself, their loved ones, and the planet.  I am happy to say that we have now figured out how to make that possible!!

This beautifully and deeply meditative version of Ra Ma Da Sa is made to use for a daily 11-minute meditation.  

Click here to go to our site and add it to your shopping cart.  You can then put it on your I-pod, mp3 player, or even burn it to CD.

September 29th – The New Moon: The new moon is a great time to start a meditation.  A lot of the mental and emotional blocks that you might normally encounter are not present at this time.  In fact, during the entire period between the new moon and the full moon, it is an ideal time to start a regular meditation practice, so now is the time – start the healing!
Here are instructions for practicing this meditation:

Healing Ra Ma Da Sa Meditation: Heal Yourself, Heal Your Loved Ones, and Heal the World.

Posture: Sit in easy pose.

Focus: Eyes are closed and focused at the third-eye point. 

Mantra: Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung. The mantra should be sung in one complete exhalation. As you chant the first Sa, your navel point is pulled in so that this syllable is abbreviated.  You should also pull your navel point in as you chant Hung.  Hung should be vibrated at the root of the nose. The rest of the syllables are drawn out in a strong, powerful chant. Strive to keep your chant at full volume (loud but not raucous) throughout the meditation.

Meaning of Mantra:
Ra=sun energy
Ma=moon energy
Da=earth energy
Sa=infinity, universal energy
Sa=repeat in second half of mantra
Say=the personal embodiment of Sa
So=the personal sense of merger with Sa
Hung=the Infinite, vibrating and real.

The mantra literally means: “I am Thou. It is also used to mean, The service of God is within me. “

Mudra: Bend the arms and bring the elbows against the side of the rib cage. The palms of the hands are parallel and face the sky  (see picture of Snatam above). The elbows are snug at your sides with the forearms in close to your upper arms. The hands are at a 60 degree angle, halfway between pointing forward and pointing to the sides.

Time: 11 minutes.

End: Inhale deeply, hold your breath and visualize the person you want to send healing to (it can be yourself). Make that image in your mind very clear and see a glowing green light around the person. Keeping that person in your mind, exhale. Inhale deeply, hold your breath and continue to send the person healing green light. Still keeping that vision in your mind, exhale. For the last time, inhale deeply, hold your breath and see the person very clearly, see the green healing light bathing the person, bathing every cell in the body. Exhale and relax.

Go to Spirit Voyage to download.

Yoga for Obama – What a cool idea!!

6-Sunday Evenings of Yoga for Obama

I received an e-mail today from Shakta Kaur, known world-wide for her best-selling Kundalini Yoga books and children’s yoga teachings.  She was writing to announce a 6-week program called Yoga for Obama.  It struck me as such a great idea, I decided to post it here so I could share the idea with teachers, yogis and activists around the country and the world and inspire anyone else who wants to give this idea a try in their local community.

Shakta Kaur was inspired by a group of teachers doing this in Miami Florida, and presented to a group of teachers in Herndon, VA.  They agreed that they would each teach one night for 6 Sundays.  As soon as I saw the flyer, I told her Spirit Voyage would love to help promote it, so we are accepting registrations on our site and will include the details in our e-mail send-outs.

If you would like to start a local Yoga for Obama, Spirit Voyage is happy to include your program on our website, take online registrations if you want us to, and help spread the word to our network.  Please e-mail me at karan@spiritvoyage.com if you are interested.

Yoga for Obama in Herndon, VA:

What: Kundalini Yoga strengthens your body, calms your mind and transforms your life – one class at a time. Each week you will be lead by dedicated yoga teachers who have taught for 25 to 35 year! Beginners and experienced are welcome.
Class includes:
-Breathing Exercises
- Invigorating, healing yoga
- Deep relaxation
- Group meditation
- A rich variety of uplifting music.

When: 6 Sunday Evenings: September 28 – November 2nd 7 to 8:30 PM
Where: Health Matters / Traditional Acupuncture
443-A Carlisle Drive
Herndon, VA 20170
Donations: $20 per class
Credit Cards accepted online. Cash only accepted at the door.
All proceeds will be donated to Campaign for Change.

Click Here to Register Now

For more information and to volunteer or donate, contact www.vaobamaforchange.com

Yoga Living Series: Meditative Moon – A Review in LA Yoga

Meditative Moon
by Spirit Voyage Artists
A Review by Michael R. Mollura

Meditative Moon is a compilation of some of the finest kirtan chanters living with us at this time. The album was put together under the consultation of yoga teachers, healers and musicians with the intention of producing what could be the ultimate taste of bhakti devotional music.

Starting with Mirabai Ceiba’s exquisite Kundalini “Guru Ram Das,” and Snatam Kaur’s “Ek Ong Kar,” the journey lays down the blanket and closes our eyes while opening our hearts to all that is possible. Dave Stringer & Donna Delory’s ‘Gunghata’ keeps the music flowing through our hearts and the energy soars with soft, peaceful and unconditional energy that is more than just healing.

I applaud Spirit Voyage for this collection, not only because of the artists they chose, but because the energy feels so complete and consistent. They didn’t just choose any chants, the label selected compositions that blend into one another seamlessly. Also included on this disc are Thomas Barquee, Amrit Kirtan, GuruGanesha Singh, Manish Vyas and Sat Kartar.

For yogis familiar with chanting, the overall feel of teh album is undeniably Kundalini driven. The texture is delicate, clean, acoustic and soothing. I highly recommend this collection of chants to everyone who enjoys classic chanting music that is so melodic it feels like you’re sailing right into the sun itself.

Michael Mollura is a writer, sacred music musician, event producer and keeper of the bhakti flame. michaelmollura@gmail.com